For most of San Diego County, the sign of a winter storm is evident with just one step outside.

Cool weather conditions have prompted many residents to grab a jacket or sweater when they head out the door Wednesday.

The county is under a winter weather advisory according to the National Weather Service.

In the mountains, that means snow.

• Read: Today's Forecast

A few adventure seekers walking along the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada were caught off guard by the snow.

"With weather like this, we had to set up camp on trail last night," Anchorage, Alaska resident Billy Harms said. "It was borderline hypothermia, probably. There were some shivers. It was cold." 

Harms said he and his nephew Jarred Ruegsegger will be walking to Wrightwood and have the right equipment for the colder temperatures.

They said the weather was a little bit of a challenge but they find it enjoyable just the same.

Residents in the areas of Cuyamaca and Laguna Mountain can count on one hand the number of times they’ve gotten snow this season.

Scattered snow showers appeared earlier Wednesday and tapered off before noon.

NBC 7’s Whitney Southwick said it is likely the last snowstorm of the year and most of the snow will be gone by Thursday.

• Watch: Today's Forecast

Snow levels were expected to reach 4000 to 4500 feet with 1 to 3 inches of snow above 4500 feet, according to the National Weather Service.

The winter weather advisory expires at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

As for the rest of the county, expect cooler temperatures maxing out in the low 60s west of the mountains, and the upper 30s in the mountains, according to Southwick.

A popular home improvement store will pay $18.1 million to settle a lawsuit accusing the chain of environmental violations.

Lowe’s Home Centers throughout the state of California were accused of illegally disposing of hazardous waste for more than six years.

Among the accusations – that the store collected recyclable materials from customers through kiosks in the store but then dumped the items into the trash.

The suit, filed in Alameda County, claimed employees tossed out materials such as pesticides, aerosols, paint and colorants solvents, adhesives, batteries, mercury-containing fluorescent bulbs, electronic waste and other toxic, ignitable and corrosive materials.

San Diego County District Attorney’s office said “inspections revealed that Lowe’s was routinely and systematically sending hazardous waste to local landfills throughout California.”

Of the eight stores in San Diego County, officials said all were unlawfully disposing hazardous waste.

Prosecutors say Alameda County Superior Court Judge George C. Hernandez approved the settlement Tuesday.

The settlement payment by Lowe’s, based in North Carolina, will be shared by 32 prosecutors from across the state and will help fund environmental enforcement and cleanup projects.

As a result of the investigation, the company has adjusted its store policies and procedures, according to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. Hazardous waste will be collected and properly disposed of and accounted for, officials said.
 

The discovery of a man’s body in the middle of the road just after midnight is a “weird case” according to San Diego police investigators.

The man in his 20s was discovered face down in the middle of the road at Ulric Street and Zane Court in the Linda Vista area of San Diego just after midnight.

He appeared to have suffered some type of blunt trauma according to officials.

Several hours into the investigation, homicide investigators said they were leaning toward the death not being classified as a homicide.

Officers were interviewing people from the apartment complex adjacent to where the man was found.

Resident Daniel Leon said he met the victim this week and, as far as he knew, the man was moving in to the complex with a wife and child.

“He didn't look like a bad guy. He looked like a normal person with a big smile on his face...you know normal,” Leon said.

Complex managers said they didn’t have information on the man moving in but added that it was common for people to rent out rooms without management knowing.

They also say the security camera pointed at the area where the man was discovered wasn't turned on at the time it happened.

The man has not been officially identified. An autopsy scheduled for Thursday may provide more answers, according to officials.

Neighbor Cindy Suarez said, “It's creepy. It's scary something you never want to wake up to. It's sad.”

An online petition is demanding that the military reconsiders its most recent guidelines regarding soldier appearance, saying the new rules for hair length discriminate against women of color who choose to wear natural hairstyles.

Under the new guidelines, certain styles are prohibited because, according to the military, they can interfere with headgear and other equipment.

For example, women in uniform cannot wear locks and twists, dreadlocks, buns or braids with loose hair at the end or multiple braids not braided in a straight line.

"These new changes are racially biased, and the lack of regard for ethnic hair is apparent," the petition charges. "This policy needs to be reviewed prior to publishing to allow for neat and maintained natural hairstyles."

• See Guidelines Here

Stylist Deborah McCampbell knows firsthand the struggle between trying to balance a professional look that is within military regulations while at the same time, keeping a style that’s efficient for busy women and not too expensive.

“I really understand the plight, you know. It is a struggle,” McCampbell told NBC 7 San Diego.

She offered to put the petition in her San Diego salon as a show of support.

The petition was created March 20 and needs approximately 89,000 people to sign it to reach the goal of 100,000 by April 19.

According to The Grio, an Alabama woman who serves in the Georgia National Guard launched the online effort.

“I’ve been in the military six years, I’ve had my hair natural four years, and it’s never been out of regulation. It’s never interfered with my head gear,” Sgt. Jasmine Jacobs told the Army Times.

McCampbell agrees, saying that natural hair can and should be considered a professional look.

For African-American women, natural hair length needs to be longer than what's considered regulation for short hair (2 inches from the scalp), according to the stylist.

“What is the problem with our natural hair?” she asks. “It’s not straight by nature. It comes in curly.”

“When you’re telling me this is not acceptable, you’re telling me I’m not acceptable,” she said, referring to her curls.

The Grio also points out that many women serving overseas don't have access to the chemicals and procedures to straighten or relax hair.

One customer in McCampbell's salon said she was newly natural and can sympathize with those women who may be having difficulties with the new regulations.

“I can’t imagine having to be put in a box or compared to other people who might have a different hair texture,” she said.

Army spokesman Paul Prince told the Army Times that grooming guidelines are necessary to maintain military uniformity.

“When you start censoring a person of who they are, then they can’t be who they're supposed to be,” McCampbell said. “Serving my country should not be about me having to be disrespected for who I am."

Greg Kloehn wonders why it didn’t dawn on him sooner.

The West Oakland artist had long been fascinated by the temporary shelters his homeless neighbors created for themselves out of materials they scavenged from the street.

So fascinated, in fact, a couple of years ago, Greg decided to give one a try. “I wanted to build a home in a day, for no money.”

One week (and $50) later, he had one: a tiny home on wheels, long enough to lie down in, not tall enough to stand in, roughly the size of a compact car.

And that was that.

Greg had no plans for what to do with it once completed, so the home simply sat in his studio for months.

Then, one rainy night, Charlene, a homeless woman in Greg’s neighborhood, knocked on his door.

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“She asked if I had a tarp,” Greg recalls. “I told her, no, I didn’t.”

As Greg walked back into his studio, though, he glanced at the home, “and I thought, What am I doing with this? So I ran back outside, and said, ‘Charlene, come back tomorrow and I’ll have a home for you.'”

The next day Charlene did return. Greg wheeled the home out to the street, handed her a bottle of champagne and keys to the refrigerator door that was the home’s front entrance.

“As soon as I gave it away,” Greg says, “it felt so good. Why didn’t I think of this sooner?”

While he may have been late to the idea, Greg is now making up for lost time. Each morning, with a cup of coffee in one hand and his van’s steering wheel in the other, Greg scours the streets around his home and studio looking for the piles of illegally dumped trash that show up every night.

From the piles he takes anything that might help him build a home: pallets, 2x4s, refrigerator doors and shelving, and paint.

A team of volunteers helps Greg mold those pieces into tiny, moveable structures.

Since his first home give-away, Greg has built more than a dozen small homes on wheels and gifted them to the area’s homeless.

“Everyone’s really happy,” Greg says about the donations, “lots of hugs, lots of happiness. That’s the best part for me.”

Greg does not claim that his homes are the answer to the problem of homelessness, they are simply a way for one man to do something nice for a person in need of a little help.

“It’s funny,” Greg says, “they may be homeless, but they are my neighbors.”

Thousands of New York City doormen rallied and marched through Manhattan Wednesday amid negotiations over their next contract.

The workers who hail cabs, walk dogs, sign for packages and help New Yorkers in many other ways say they could go on strike by the end of the month.

The Realty Advisory Board, which bargains with the union on behalf of the real estate industry, says the last contract, negotiated in 2010, covers more than 30,000 building service workers in more than 3,000 residential buildings in all five boroughs.

The contract includes doormen, porters, handymen and building superintendents.

The union is battling for a raise while also maintaining their current health and pension benefits.

The contract expires April 20.

The Realty Advisory Board tweeted Wednesday that negotiations "are going extremely well on both sides."

A 73-year-old Miami man was arrested on attempted murder and arson charges after police say he tried to burn down his neighbor's trailer home containing two women and eight children because the women are lesbians.

Braulio Valenzuela-Villanueva is also facing a hate crime charge over the blaze that was sparked early Saturday at the River Park Trailer Park at 2260 Northwest 27th Avenue, according to a Miami-Dade Police arrest report released Wednesday.

Valenzuela-Villanueva was being held on $230,000 bond Wednesday, jail records showed. An attorney was not listed.

• Woman Caught on Video Feeding Alligator

According to the arrest report, Valenzuela-Villanueva had been involved in an ongoing feud with his neighbors that had resulted in several heated arguments.

Tensions allegedly boiled over around 4:25 a.m. Saturday, when Valenzuela-Villanueva set fire to a mattress that was leaning against his neighbor's trailer, the report said.

The fire consumed the mattress and began to burn the trailer, going undetected for several minutes. The trailer had no smoke detector or fire warning system.

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At one point, a neighbor noticed the fire and alerted the victims, who were able to escape. Valenzuela-Villanueva casually came out of his home and observed the fire, and had to be compelled to assist in bringing a garden hose to extinguish the fire by a neighbor, the report said.

Firefighters responded, but the trailer sustained considerable damage, the report said.

A neighbor's security system recorded Valenzuela-Villanueva set the fire, but when he was questioned, he didn't admit to setting it, the report said.

• VIDEO: Man Punches Woman in McDonald's Drive-Thru

"He stated that he despised the two adult victims for the simple fact that they were lesbians," the report said. "According to the defendant, every time he saw them kissing he felt a deep repugnance, and in his opinion they did not deserve to have children."

Valenzuela-Villanueva faces 10 counts of attempted second-degree murder and one count of first-degree arson.

General Motors has developed a dedicated website for all questions regarding the recent recalls with ignition switches and power steering.

Find the website here.

All 2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5, 2003-2007 Saturn Ion, 2006-2007 Chevrolet HHR, 2005-2006 Pontiac Pursuit (Canada), 2006-2007 Pontiac Solstice and 2007 Saturn Sky vehicles are involved in the recall.

On March 28, 2014, the recall was expanded to include the following vehicles: 2008-2010 Pontiac Solstice and G5; 2008-2010 Saturn Sky; 2008-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt; 2008-2011 Chevrolet HHR.

The company says "when GM notifies you that parts are available, you should contact your GM dealer to arrange a service appointment."

At this point, more than 2.5 million GM cars have a potentially deadly problem with their ignition switch. GM promises to replace those switches, and fix the problem.

In San Diego County, there are thousands of those Chevrolets, Pontiacs and Saturns, model years 2003 to 2011. This is a huge recall, and it will take time to replace all those defective switches.

But GM promises, your car is still safe to drive, with one precaution.

Mechanic Dave Ely of Convoy Auto Repair in Kearny Mesa agrees with GM executives and says there’s no need to panic if you’re driving one of the potentially defective cars.

"I would allow my own daughter to drive the car, and feel perfectly comfortable with that," Ely told NBC 7.

GM says owners should remove all but the ignition key from their key chain. That will lighten up the key chain, and prevent it from exerting weight on the ignition switch, which can accidently turn it from the “on” position to the “accessory” position. When that happens, the engine turns off, and the air bags won’t work.

But not all consumers are comfortable with that quick fix.

Keith Reid just learned today that his 2011 Chevy HHR is a potential hazard.

“I’m scared to death,” he told NBC 7.

Reid doesn’t want to wait for his local GM dealership to fix the problem, and will ask the dealership to loan him a safer car, while he waits for the repair.

"You know, it's a good idea,” he said. “I'm going to go today."

But Shannon White is not at all nervous about driving her Pontiac Solstice, which is also on the recall list.

She has not had any problems with her car, and said "If it works, don't fix it. That's kind of where I'm going on this."

She’s also ignoring GM’s advice, and will not remove her other keys and do-dads from her key chain, because she won’t remember where she put her keys, if they’re not on her key chain.

White did say she may eventually let GM replace her ignition switch, but she won't be first in line at the dealership for a repair.

“Let them learn it real well [how to fix the problem] before I come in," she said.

NBC 7 also discussed this issue with San Diego attorney Craig McClellan, who has handled hundreds of vehicle defect cases.

McClellan says the GM cars on the recall list are not safe to drive until the switches are replaced, and thinks owners should ask a GM dealership for a loaner car.

 

Jim Zetz got his dying wish to walk his daughter down the aisle on her wedding day even though she's only 11.

He was given two weeks to live in October after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Complete with a pastor, flowers and gifts, the ceremony took place in their Murrieta backyard.

"Down the road, this will mean a lot to her," Zetz told the Press-Enterprise, crying. "She will always remember it."

The event was organized by Southern California photographer Lindsay Villatoro. She captured the ceremony in an emotional video seen tens of thousands of times on YouTube.

Villatoro said she wanted to preserve the bittersweet memory.

After a little coaxing from the photographer, Jim's daughter, Josie, opened up to the idea and graciously allowed her makeup and hair to be done.

"In 20 years from now," she told Josie, "you can play this on your wedding day."

In a beautiful bridal dress and in tears, the girl with wavy black hair walked down the aisle -- her father looking dapper in a gray suit and black flat cap.

After their session, Villatoro posted the photos on her company’s website, Love Song Photography, accompanied by a picture of Josie.
 

Small tsunami waves measuring just a few inches arrived on the Southern California coast Wednesday hours after a magnitude-8.2 earthquake off the coast of Chile.

Strong currents were expected in Southern California after tide gauges in Santa Monica showed  levels above predicted readings early Wednesday morning, according to the NWS. The elevated waves arrived just before 5 a.m. in Santa Monica and about 20 minutes later to the north in San Luis Obispo County.

Wave heights measured only a few inches and just above the predicted level, but the NWS reported "noticeable currents" in Ventura and Santa Barbara harbors. Tsunami waves lose energy as they travel from the quake epicenter, but can still impact currents thousands of miles away, sometimes hours after the intial waves arrive.

The small surges generated by the sudden displacement in the sea floor will likely continue Wednesday in and out of harbors and marinas. The NWS adviced anyone going in the water Wednesday to be aware of potentially strong and unusual ocean currents.

• Complete Earthquake Guide

The magnitude-8.2 quake off the Chilean coast was linked to at least six deaths. Energy generated by the quake triggered tsunami warnings for a large area of the Pacific coast of Central and South America, where 6-foot-high tsunami waves  were reported.

The quake was about 60 miles northwest of Iquique, Chile at a shallow 12.5 miles deep. About 40 aftershocks have been reported in the region.

• Read: Six Killed in Chile Quake

A tsunami advisory was issued for Hawaii, about 6,500 miles away from the epicenter. The advisory, canceled late Wednesday morning, was issued to alert beach visitors, surfers and swimmers of strong ocean currents.

No tsunami warnings or advisories were issued for the United States West Coast, unlike in 2011 when advisories were issued for the California coast after the magnitude-8.9 earthquake that devastated Japan.

Damage related to the 2011 tsunami occurred in Santa Cruz and Crescent City. In Southern California, the tsunami generated small surges in Southern California, prompting beach closures.

#Tsunami a few inches high arrived on #SoCal coasts today. Harbor currents expected. #cawx #laweather pic.twitter.com/buykP9mLlq

— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) April 2, 2014

• Updates: Download the NBCLA Mobile App

A mother who was picking up her 4-year-old son from soccer practice on the Fort Hood post when Wednesday’s frightening shooting occurred said the "only thing I could tell him was somebody’s not playing nice."

Charlotte Spencer said her son had just climbed in the car when a woman came over a loudspeaker telling everyone to shelter in place immediately.

NBC News reported an active shooter at Fort Hood at about 4 p.m., and the sirens sounded soon after. 

“The siren came over and she was like, ‘This is an emergency. Get in your homes, lock your doors, lock your windows, turn off your AC units and turn off your heaters if you have them running. Just stay in place. This is an active emergency,’” Spencer described.

Three people were killed, and the shooter, who has been identified as 34-year-old Ivan Lopez, is dead, according to NBC News. Officials said as 16 others were injured.

• 3 Victims, Gunman Dead After Second Fort Hood Mass Shooting

“It was very scary because my initial thought was OK, they don’t know where the shooter is," Spender said. "So it was like, OK, I have to protect my kid, so what do I do? So, we just got in the car, rolled up the windows and we just stayed in the car. We tried to drive off base, but it was already closed.”

NBC 5 spoke to Spencer on the phone as she was still sitting in her car taking shelter.

“All we see is police officers driving by us up and down the road non-stop, telling us to stay in our cars," Spencer said. "There are helicopters. I’ve seen a few med-evacs go by and we really don’t know anything yet.”

Spencer said she tried to delicately explain the situation to her son.

• A History of Shootings at Military Installations in the U.S.

“And the only thing I could tell him was somebody’s not playing nice, so we have to wait for them to play nice,” Spencer said.

“You know, that’s the best way I can describe it because I can’t tell him, ‘Hey, somebody’s shooting at another person,’ because they’re not going to understand that,” she said.

Spencer lived in Killeen during the 2009 Fort Hood massacre and said Wednesday’s events are all too familiar.

“It’s very scary having to live something like that again," Spencer said. "Because not only do we have this, we had it 2009 and then I also have a husband who was killed overseas. So it’s very emotional and it’s just hard to deal with. Because it’s like okay, you’re at a point now where is this going to be the norm here? How do I cope with this? How do I deal with this? How do I explain this to my children? It’s very hard to deal with!”

Spencer was able to leave the post at about 9 p.m. after spending more than four hours locked in her car.

• VIDEO Background of Suspected Fort Hood Shooter

A Transportation Security Administration employee is being hailed as a hero for putting his life on the line to save a woman laying on Chicago Transit Authority train tracks Wednesday.

But to hear Eddie Palacios tell it, he did nothing out of the ordinary.

"I told one co-worker, maybe another one that was there but I really didn't tell anybody because it wasn't a big deal. I got up and went on the train and went to work," Palacios said Thursday morning.

DNAInfo.com/chicago radio reporter Jon Hansen was on his way to work Wednesday when he saw the woman fall from the Blue Line platform at the Chicago Avenue station just as a train was approaching.

"Everyone just kind of let out a gasp. You could hear it audibly in Chicago station. And everyone starts waving their hands and screaming, 'No,'" Hansen said.

That's when Palacios, wearing a bright orange University of Illinois sweatshirt, jumped onto the track to get the attention of the train operator. The train stopped 20 feet in front of the woman.

"When the man jumps down and starts waving, you just freeze in a way, it's so compelling to watch, it's almost as if you can't look away," Hansen said.

Hansen introduced himself to the man -- who initially said his name was Edgar -- and identified himself as a reporter.

"It almost seemed to him like it was his duty, and he didn't think anything of it. And he wasn't looking for praise, he immediately got on the train when it got to the station and left like nothing. It was really quite an act of heroism," Hansen said.

NBC Chicago later tracked "Edgar" down and learned it was really Eddie Palacios.

"It was nothing really," Palacios said. "At the TSA they teach us sensitivity. They teach us how to respond to certain situations."

He said he later caught some flak from his son, who learned of the incident from Hansen's video.

"My son, he was very upset," Palacios recalled. "He called me [and said] 'What's wrong with you? What are you thinking?' ... 'You jumped on the track!' ... So I can understand why he was kind of, a little upset."

Another witness said she tried to pull the woman off of the tracks as the train was coming, but was unsuccessful. 

The father of two toddlers that drowned in the backyard pool of a La Mesa home last year has filed a lawsuit against the tots' mother, boyfriend and the homeowner.

The Medical Examiner's report noted that, even at the tender age of two, Jason Jr. showed more compassion and more maturity than his mother Tassie Behrens.

When the toddler tried to wake his mom, telling her his 16-month old sister Harley was missing on the morning of May 13, 2013, the report states his mother told him to go back to sleep.

Behrens later awoke to her children's lifeless bodies in the pool of a La Mesa home where she was staying on Sunset.

She is now in custody, facing charges in their deaths.

• Watch: Mom, Boyfriend to Stand Trial in Toddlers' Deaths

The children's father, Jason Michael Bradford, has filed a lawsuit alleging the landlord of the home didn't have proper safety equipment around the pool of the home.

Bradford, the man listed as the father on one of the toddlers' birth certificates, was sentenced to a two-year state prison term in 2011 for motorcycle theft.

“He wasn’t there at the time to be with his children and they were being taken care of by Mom and she didn’t do her job,” said attorney Jeffrey Greenman.

Greenman is one of the attorneys representing Bradford in a recently filed lawsuit claiming negligence against the landlord, the children's mother and her friend.

The suit notes Behrens and her friend Larry Deangelo, who was renting the home, used it as a marijuana growhouse while the children were inside.

The suit claims landlord Terrence Mann is culpable in the children's deaths because a fence wasn’t put up around the pool - a possible violation of California's Safe Pools Act requiring fences around pools.

"Pool deaths happen annually if we’re not safe and proactive about our own properties that tragedy can happen in a blink of an eye," exclaimed Purdy.

• Read: Tot Tried to Wake Mom Before Drowning: Docs

NBC 7 went to the landlord's El Cajon business for comment. He wasn't available.

The children's mother is behind bars and facing drug and child endangerment charges.

After discovering the toddlers, Behrens and a friend did not call 911 but rather decided put the children in a pickup truck and drove to a nearby hospital.

They arrived at La Mesa Fire Station 13, approximately 15 minutes away, where paramedics treated the children and transported them and the mother to Grossmont Hospital.

Officials said Behrens later told them she lied to protect her friend from getting in trouble for failing to enclose the pool.

When officials arrested Behrens four months later, they told NBC 7 they believed the mother lied to officials about the location of the drownings in order to prevent investigators from discovering a marijuana grow.

The children's father was in Arizona where he lived when his children died.

The history of gun attacks at military facilities in the United States in many ways reflects those in society at large: they run the gamut from domestic attacks and drunken fights to politically motivated massacres, including the 2009 killing of 13 at Fort Hood, Texas. But unlike the rest of society, the people who live and work on these posts often suffer from stresses caused by the trauma of war and serving in the armed forces. They often end in suicide.

Violence hit Fort Hood again Wednesday, when an Iraq War veteran opened fire on the base, killing three and injuring 16 others before committing suicide. 

Here is a brief recent history of shootings on the grounds of military installations prior to Wednesday's shooting. 

March 2014: A sailor was killed while trying to stop a gunman attempting to board a ship in Norfolk, Va. Authorities say Petty Officer 2nd Class Mark Mayo, 24, jumped between the civilian shooter and a another sailor, saving her life. The alleged gunman, Jeffrey Savage, was killed by Navy security forces.

September 2013: Twelve people died and four were injured after a government contractor opened fire inside the Navy Yard complex in Washington, D.C., committing one of the worst attacks at a U.S. military installation since the November 2009 killing of 13 at Fort Hood. Gunman Aaron Alexis, who had just recently begun an assignment at the site, was shot and killed by officers. Authorities later said that Alexis, who appeared to target his victims at random, "held a delusional belief that he was being controlled or influenced by extremely low frequency, or ELF, electromagnetic waves.”

June 2013: An Army captain at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas was allegedly shot and wounded by her common-law husband, Alvin Roundtree at the Army Medical Department Center and School, where she was an instructor. Roundtree is a retired soldier.

April 2013: Lloyd Gibert, a civilian employer at a Fort Knox, Ky. parking lot, was shot to death outside the post's Army Human Resources Command building. A Fort Knox soldier, Marquinta E. Jacobs, was arrested in the killing.

Firefighters rushed to rescue someone trapped in the backseat of a small car after a three-vehicle collision along State Route 52 near State Route 125 Thursday.

The collision occurred just after 8 a.m.

Once officials arrived at the scene, they issued a Sig Alert.

It took Heartland fire crews approximately 20 minutes to pull one person out of the smallest vehicle in the collision.

That person was loaded into an ambulance and transported to a nearby hospital. No word on the person's condition but it appeared that the man was communicating with California Highway Patrol officer on scene.

Officials said two people were transported to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

Fifty-eight percent of businesses surveyed for the first-quarter Vistage CEO Confidence Index plan to hire in the year ahead. That’s the highest level since the start of 2007, according to Vistage.

Reflecting the plans, firms reported that the top issue they’re facing is finding, hiring and training new staff, exceeding concerns about health care and economic uncertainty.

The Vistage Confidence Index was 101.3 in the first quarter 2014 survey, virtually identical to the 101.5 in fourth quarter 2013, but well above the 96.6 in the like quarter last year.

San Diego-based Vistage said firms anticipate that the economy will improve in the year ahead, with revenue and profit rebounding as well. The impact of the winter’s foul weather was expected to be temporary, even if hopes for an early spring have not panned out.

Planned increases in investments in new plant and equipment were reported by 47 percent in the survey, the highest level in four years.

Increased revenue was expected by three of four CEOs surveyed, and more than half anticipate higher profits during the year ahead, Vistage said. Improved revenue and profit were expected slightly less frequently than last quarter, mainly due to the adverse impact of the weather. Nonetheless, these expectations were at the highest levels recorded in the past two years for profit or three years for revenue.

The Vistage CEO Confidence Index, established in 2003, is a quarterly survey of small to midsize business CEOs about the U.S. economy.

The Business Journal is the premier business publication in San Diego. Every day online and each Monday in print, the Business Journal reports on how local business operate and why businesses leaders make the decisions they do. Every story is a dose of insight into how to run a better, more efficient, more profitable business.

A new study says too much running can be bad for your health.

The study, conducted by Dr. Martin Matsumura at the Cardiovascular Research Institute at the Lehigh Valley Health Network, found high-mileage marathon runners and people who get no exercise both have shorter lifespans than moderate runners.

"Too much of anything is not really as good for you,” said running coach Jason Karp, Ph.D. “You shouldn't be running 20 marathons a year, but there will be people who do two marathons a month and they will do that every year of their lives. That might be a little bit too much."

Researchers say extreme, strenuous exercise can be damaging to the heart.

“When you do a lot of aerobic exercise, that actually suppresses the immune system and damages skeletal muscles, can cause some scarring of the heart,” Karp said. “But again, that’s the very extreme case. I don’t want people to think, ‘Oh no, I shouldn't run because that's not good for my heart.’ For very extreme endurance athletes, there is some slight risk. But most of the population they should be running a lot more than they are."

Competitive runner Vera Ross says she runs 40 to 50 miles a week.

“I haven't done a 50 or 100 mile race yet, and I know there's some school of thought that that is more on the detrimental side of running," she said.

Ross says she knows her limits.

“I can see how too much of anything could be a bad thing,” she said. “Everything in moderation."

Doctors recommend running at a slow to moderate pace two or three times a week for a total of two and a half hours.

People are going back to work in San Diego – but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to get a job.

In today’s world, it takes hard work and a few tricks to land that gig. It's not just finding a job opening that can be tricky, you also have to convince the company that you are the right person for the job.

But, whether it’s your first job, a new job or an upgrade, employment experts say the key is being smart and persistent.

Of course, nailing the job interview is crucial but what’s also important is what you do after the interview is over, according to Phil Blair with Manpower San Diego.

“It’s really important to follow up. I call it ‘polite persistence,’” said Blair, adding that there’s a fine line between that polite persistence and stalking.

So, as tempting as it may be, don’t call the employer six times a day asking if you got the job.

Instead, do some writing.

“You’re going to send a very quick email thank you, followed by a hand-written ‘Thank You’ note because those are so rare, that you really stand out from anyone else,” Blair explained.

Now, if you send a brief email or “Thank You” letter, don’t make it generic. Be specific and refer to something you talked about with the prospective employer in the job interview, or follow up on a question they asked you.

The key, Blair said, is letting potential employers know you want the job before, during and after the interview is over.

Also, it’s probably best not to call, unless the employer says otherwise. In fact, at the end of the job interview, ask them the best way to follow up.

And, if you don’t get hired, don’t burn any bridges. Be polite and keep in contact – there may be a job in the future.

Local students, including those at UC San Diego, say they’re feeling the excitement and pressure of today’s job market.

“I feel like there are a ton of opportunities and there are a ton of people going after those opportunities,” said David Tolton, a college senior. “It looks like it’s very competitive.”

College junior Evan Dowden said it’s all about “confidence” and showing an employer how much you want the job. Experts agree and say one-on-one skills and showing true interest and desire stand out when looking for work.

“You really have to be able to connect with the person who’s trying to hire you because, ultimately, it’s a subjective decision that they’re making,” said UCSD senior Shannon Colin.

Manpower's Phil Blair said the biggest growth areas are in high tech and skilled health care, while many lower paying jobs are springing up in tourism and the service industry.  Blair says that the key is getting into the job market, "You are more employable when you have a job."
 

Goalie Devon Wills might soon be in a league of her own.

To those in the know, Wills is a brick wall. A former All-Ivy League lacrosse player at Dartmouth, the current assistant coach of the USC women’s lacrosse team is a two-time Lacrosse World Cup champion and widely regarded as the best female lacrosse goalie in the world.

Come next week, you might know her as one of the few female athletes to break sport’s gender barrier.

Ranked second all-time in career saves at Dartmouth, Wills was claimed by the New York Lizards of the Major Lacrosse League in December 2013 and invited to the team’s 2014 training camp.

If all goes well, the Team USA goalie would become the first female professional lacrosse player in the all-male MLL.

“The media attention about the gender issues of it was more than I thought was going to happen,” said Wills in an interview with NBC4’s Mario Solis. “And maybe that was me being a little naïve but at the same time, I just want to play lacrosse.”

Originally slated to attend Lizards’ training camp over three weekends in April, Wills was thought to have ample time to impress her prospective new coaches. However, Wills’ responsibilities as a defensive coordinator at USC will cut her professional tryout to just one day.

Despite the shortened opportunity, Wills seems unfazed.

“They’ll make their decision from there if I can hang; if I can’t. And then I’ll be right back here with my girls,” said Wills.

Of course, if Wills were to be signed by the Lizards, she wouldn’t be the first female to play in a professional men’s league. In fact, she wouldn’t be the first female goalie to do so, either.

Manon Rheaume played for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL in an exhibition game prior to the 1992 season.

Lightning general manager at the time, Phil Esposito, would later comment that Rheaume’s signing was a publicity stunt to garner attention for his fledgling franchise in a non-hockey market. Rheaume would not take the ice a second time for the Lightning.

“For me, it’s definitely not a stunt,” said Wills. “For me, it’s getting out there trying to be better than I am right now and trying something new.”